IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 352 

Expressing support for the designation of a ‘‘Prisoners of Conscience Day’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 8, 2015 

Mr. PITTS (for himself and Mr. MCGOVERN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the designation of a ‘‘Prisoners of 

Conscience Day’’. 

Whereas thousands of people around the world are prisoners 

of conscience: persons imprisoned for the peaceful expression of their political, religious, or other conscientiously 

held beliefs, or for their identity, even though they have 

neither used nor advocated violence; 

Whereas international standards protect human rights and 

the fundamental freedoms of all individuals worldwide; 

Whereas the Preamble to the Universal Declaration of 

Human Rights refers to the equal rights of men and 

women; 

Whereas the Universal Declaration declares in Article 2 that 

everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms it sets 

forth without distinction of any kind; and in Article 3 


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•HRES 352 IH 

that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security 

of person; and in Article 9 that no one shall be subjected 

to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile; 

Whereas Article 18 of the Universal Declaration states that: 

‘‘Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to 

change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or 

in community with others and in public or private, to 

manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance’’; 

Whereas Article 19 of the Universal Declaration states that: 

‘‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions 

without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of 

frontiers’’; 

Whereas Article 20 (1) of the Universal Declaration states 

that: ‘‘Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association’’; 

Whereas prisoners of conscience are imprisoned, often tortured and sometimes executed, because their governments 

view as unacceptable who they are, what they believe, and 

how they have chosen to express their convictions; 

Whereas governments imprison prisoners of conscience for 

many reasons including to restrict the flow of information, narrow the space for independent civil society, diminish the power of the people to express their views, and 

prevent challenges to their authority; 

Whereas prisoners of conscience include artists, bloggers, 

community activists, dissidents, journalists, human rights 


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•HRES 352 IH 

activists, lawyers, labor leaders, teachers, religious leaders, and members of religious communities; 

Whereas through the Defending Freedoms Project of the 

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the United 

States House of Representatives, undertaken in collaboration with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and Amnesty 

International/USA, Members of Congress advocate on behalf of prisoners of conscience from around the world and 

shine a light on them and the governments of the countries that have imprisoned them; 

Whereas the goals of the Defending Freedoms Project are, at 

a minimum, to help improve the conditions under which 

prisoners of conscience are held, and ideally, secure their 

freedom, while encouraging countries to implement needed reforms consistent with internationally approved 

human rights standards; and 

Whereas a Prisoners of Conscience Day would underscore the 

importance of prioritizing the protection for and freedom 

of prisoners of conscience as a United States foreign policy goal: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) calls for the designation of a Prisoners of 

3 Conscience Day; 

4 (2) requests that the President of the United 

5 States issue a proclamation recognizing ‘‘Prisoners 

6 of Conscience Day’’; 

7 (3) encourages Members of Congress to raise 

8 individual prisoner of conscience cases in Congress, 


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1 with the executive branch, with their constituents, to 

2 foreign governments and multilateral organizations, 

3 and during delegation trips abroad; 

4 (4) encourages the United States Government 

5 to implement policies and robustly support programs 

6 promoting human rights, including religious and po7 litical freedom, the rule of law, and the protection of 

8 individuals and organizations at risk; 

9 (5) encourages the United States Government 

10 to undertake specific actions directed at countries 

11 that detain prisoners of conscience in violation of 

12 international standards; and 

13 (6) urges that human rights advocacy on behalf 

14 of prisoners of conscience be pursued consistently 

15 and publicly at every level of United States foreign 

16 policy and in all bilateral and multilateral engage17 ment, so that laws and policies are brought into con18 formity with international commitments and human 

19 rights standards. 

Æ 


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